As you may know, each new iPhone model boasted improved battery life. For many users, though, battery drain remains a significant issue.
Unfortunately, many of iPhone’s smart features are big battery drainers. Streaming, posting geotagged photos, and apps updating in the background can all sap battery power. The good news: you can likely use these (and other) features more efficiently.
Want to know more about how to make your battery last longer? Here are 7 simple tips that will help you cut down on hidden battery drainage sources.
Enable Low Power Mode
This should be the first thing you do if you’re concerned about battery life. Low Power Mode has been around for a while, and it’s proven very useful.
When battery life on your iPhone drops to 20%, you’ll get a popup to enable Low Power Mode. That said, you can enable it at any time via Siri or Control Center. You can also turn it on in Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode.
Keep in mind that charging your iPhone will turn the Low Power Mode off. The easiest way to check whether it’s active is to look at the battery icon at the top of the iPhone. If the icon is yellow, the Low Power Mode is on.
Check for Battery Drain
Old iPhone batteries may no longer be in optimal condition. To make sure your battery is healthy, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.
This section contains a listing for “Maximum Capacity.” This tells you how your battery capacity compares to when it was brand new. If the capacity has gone under 80%, you may want to look into replacing the battery.
Even if the capacity is holding strong, you’ll want to ensure it stays that way. To do that, turn on “Optimized Battery Charging.” This allows your iPhone to learn your charging schedule, so it waits with charging past 80%.
Limit Apps That Use Bluetooth
As of a while ago, iOS 13 lets us know when apps request Bluetooth access. As it turns out, some apps use Bluetooth for things such as location tracking.
The more apps connect to Bluetooth sources, the faster your battery will drain. This is a good reason to check your settings for apps connecting to Bluetooth without your permission. To do that, go to Settings > Privacy > Bluetooth.
This gives you access to a list of all your apps that use Bluetooth. Feel free to toggle off any apps that don’t need a Bluetooth connection to work. If some apps do stop functioning properly, you can always turn Bluetooth back on.
Disable Notifications
Some app notifications are useful, but many of them are just annoying. Plus, cutting down on them is another good way to extend your battery life.
The thing about notifications is that they wake the device up for 5-10 seconds. This may not seem like much, but it all adds up. If you’re receiving Facebook or Twitter mentions, you could rack up 50 notifications in a very short time.
To adjust your notifications, go to Settings > Notifications. Then, go through each app and tap on the toggle to allow it to send you notifications. You can also allow apps to show as banners, on the Lock Screen, or in the Notification Center.
Activate Dark Mode
In iOS 13, Apple introduced the long-awaited Dark Mode feature. It’s available across the entire OS, including built-in apps and third-party apps.
On newer iPhones with an OLED display, Dark Mode can save battery life. It’s less important than some other tips on this list, but every bit matters, right? To enable it, go to Settings > Display & Brightness and tap the “Dark” option.
While you’re at it, you can also toggle the “Automatic” mode. This means that your Dark Mode will turn on with sunset and turn off come morning. If you don’t care about this feature, you can turn on the Dark Mode via the Control Center.
Limit Background Activity
All apps use refreshing features to update in the background. When it comes to how to extend your battery life, turning off these features can have a big impact.
First, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. This will give you a list of all the apps currently installed on your iPhone. You can now choose which apps can keep refreshing in the background, and which ones can’t.
The other option is to turn off App Refresh altogether, though this can lead to other issues. Instead, consider activating App Refresh only when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. This is less of a drain on your battery than downloading over cellular.
Disable Automatic Updates
If the above tips aren’t much help, you may want to consider drastic measures. This includes stopping your device from doing anything by itself.
For example, Apple has a feature that syncs apps between devices. If you get an app on your iPhone, the feature will download it on your iPad as well. To turn this off, go to Settings > Profile > iTunes & App Store and toggle off any automatic downloads.
If you don’t want apps updating on their own, toggle off App Updates as well. You can also turn off automatic iOS updates by going to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates. Then, tap the toggle to turn updates off.
More on How to Make Your Battery Last Longer
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to ensure a longer iPhone battery life. Depending on your needs, some of these tips will be more effective than others.
One thing you don’t want to do close your apps manually. Many guides suggest doing this to extend battery life, but this method does more harm than good. When your apps aren’t active, they’re paused and aren’t using battery life at all.
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